


couffaine's for closers

by sanctify (pains)



Series: just guys being dudes [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, M/M, There are Links, there's like mentions of mari lila gami alya and nino
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21746137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pains/pseuds/sanctify
Summary: oh, change will come.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine
Series: just guys being dudes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556044
Comments: 15
Kudos: 135





	couffaine's for closers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Luvandia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luvandia/gifts).



> tfw timezones are different for now but it's 12 am here and in sg so uhhhhh Happy Birthday Chris this is for you,,,, 🖕🏻💖💕🎂

"Adrien, tilt your head a little bit more to the left, s'il vous plaît." Vincent says, squatting a little to get a better angle. "Signorina Rossi, eyes on him. Hand on his shoulder, yes?" Shutter noises. 

He tries not to frown at Lila's fingers dancing across his shoulder. 

"Non non, Adrien! Look in love! Imagine you coming home and there is the spaghetti on the table! Delicious, tempting, _saucy_! Yes! Like that!" More shutter noises. 

His left arm is starting to shake a little with exhaustion from its spot against the wall. Seriously, was this shoot going to end anytime soon? And can Lila stop trailing her fingers on his shoulder? It tickled, but he didn't feel comfortable at all. 

He sneaks a glance between shots and sees a furrow on Vincent's brows, and tries to swallow the groan that wants to make its way out of his throat. 

"Adrien! Eyes on Signorina Rossi, _please_."

He ignores the unkind upward tilt to Lila's lips as he looks back at her. He's not in the mood for false pleasantries nor is he in the mood to fight any akuma. 

_'Chin up, Ade. Just let it runs its course.'_ He repeats the words his mother told him years ago. _'You'll work with people you do and don't click well with in modeling.'_ He lets his mind wander a little, back to the past. Back to his mother's hands on the piano, as she gives him advice after his first photoshoot with another model. _'You just have to let it run its course, my sweet. I'm sure Daddy would never let you do a shoot that's really uncomfortable for you.'_ Well, that was a lie.

"Adrien! _Focus_ , please."

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Right. Stop spacing out. Father would make his life hell if he continued to disrupt the shoot like this.

He's always been a good actor. He can do this.

* * *

The shoot ends a little after 5. The photos were... satisfactory. They weren't good, but they were good enough.

Well, one thing's for sure, he was going to be seeing his Father for dinner tonight. 

The Gorilla is, as usual, punctual in picking him up. He doesn't have any other engagements left, so they drive back to the manor. The ride back is as quiet as it's always been.

When he enters the front door, his Father is already waiting, standing at the top of the staircase, looming over him like an archangel of death.

"Adrien. I heard you were slightly less cooperative during today's shoot. Might I know why?" His father asked, his face the usual look of disappointment. 

"I apologize, Père. I had things on my mind..." A weak excuse, but he couldn't come up with a better lie. (He could hardly say that it was stress, that would be a one-way ticket to getting pulled out of school. Besides, it wasn't even school that he was stressed out about.) 

Gabriel frowned. 

Adrien tried not to sigh. _Here he goes._

"I don't care about what trivial matters you think is more important than that shoot, Adrien. If you don't perform how I want you to, I will act accordingly."

'Just say you'll pull me out of school!' He wants to yell. That's the only thing Gabriel can threaten him with. (And if it were up to him, it'll stay that way. If Père found out about Plagg... he shudders to even think about it.) 

He nods in acquiescence, "Yes, mon Père."

"Go to your room." The discussion is over. 

He goes to his room without another word. 

It's his own house, but why does it feel like he's been exiled? 

* * *

He's lying down in bed, the lights off. The only source of light comes from his phone in his hands. He's browsing through his Instagram feed, images of cats and his friends litter his screen.

It is not the first time, nor is it the last time, that he feels envy so strong it threatens to overwhelm him.

It isn't the first time that he's feeling the longing and sadness from seeing all these people have fun, too.

_'I should be out there, with them.'_

A small smile reaches his face as he double taps a [set of photos](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5th-eshhQW/?igshid=150oz2irlu1az) from Alya's account with Alya on Marinette's shoulders on the first photo, and then a blurry second image.

"📷 by #ninoneedsaninstagram," one of Alya's comments say.

He continues scrolling down and there's a picture from Marinette's account this time, with [her and Kagami](https://www.instagram.com/p/B5NwqrigLNI/?igshid=5no39kzynog7) eating together.

Even Kagami gets to go out a lot more than he does.

_'She deserves it, her mother makes her work too hard, and she's mentioned that Marinette was one of her first friends. She deserves it.'_

**_('What about me?')_ **

He wants to be out there with his friends too. He wants to be a kid along with his friends too. 

His Father's disapproving look enters his head.

Even in his own head, he can't escape. 

He locks his phone and tosses it to the side, plunging his room into darkness.

Plagg is quiet, watching him.

"Am I being stupid?" He asks.

"No, Adrien. You're not."

He groans, not wanting to throw a tantrum but very much close to just going 'fuck it' and yelling. 

It's a Friday. There are no classes tomorrow. He doesn't have to do any homework til tomorrow night. He doesn't have any shoots planned tomorrow. He only has piano tomorrow. 

Yet here he is. 

He wants out. 

"Hey, kid. Let's go out." 

He smiles in surprise when Plagg suggests they head out. Usually, the kwami would be complaining about going out when it wasn't necessary, saying that he'd rather be neck deep in a wheel of camembert. 

The smile turns into a frown when he realizes that Plagg has categorized this as something necessary. That this impromptu trip out was necessary. 

"Okay." 

Plagg eats some camembert as quickly as he can. Then, he flies to the ring. "Knock, knock." He says, knocking against the Miraculous. 

"Plagg, transforme moi!" 

* * *

Chat Noir runs across the rooftops of Paris, backflips, does jumping leaps, cartwheels. 

He has the mask on right now. He's not the Gabriel model Adrien Agreste. He isn't Paris' golden boy. He isn't the boy whose face is plastered on perfume ads all over the city. 

He's Chat Noir right now. One half of Paris' superhero team. Resident pun enthusiast, all-around goofy guy. There's photos of him accidentally falling off Tour Eiffel on the internet. There are memes of him being used as reaction pics on Twitter. 

The him right now is free. 

It's sad that he has to be wearing a mask to be free. 

The wind is cold tonight but Chat Noir doesn't mind. (It's way colder back home anyway.) 

* * *

"Hm?" 

He pauses when he hears music. 

His travels have lead him near the direction of the Seine. 

His ears perk up. Music by the Seine could only mean one thing. His eyes scan the darkness of the night, until he sees her from afar, The Liberty. 

He jumped down the building he was on, then extended his baton to propel him towards the general direction of the Seine. 

Luka was on the deck, strumming away on his acoustic guitar. It takes a while for the melody to register in Chat Noir's ears. "[Aerith's theme?](https://open.spotify.com/track/7LQSxsLwaVfaJXQ0sMmdiJ?si=MQGoqf8jR1G3Wo6r9Y4t4g)" He blurts out. 

The strumming stops and Luka is looking at him in surprise. 

"Désolé, I didn't mean to disturb you." 

"No, it's okay." Luka says, smiling at him.

Chat Noir wants Luka to play again, but doesn't know how to ask him to without sounding demanding. Luckily, Luka seems to understand, and the familiar tune begins to play again. 

"I didn't know you knew Final Fantasy," Luka begins, as the music swells. 

Chat Noir looks surprised, "Do I not look like someone who appreciates a legend of a game like that, Monsieur Couffaine?" He asks teasingly. 

"Ah, no. Sorry. It's just... well. Nevermind." Luka says as the song finishes, only for it to begin again. 

"I like a lot of games," Chat Noir says, sitting on a lounge chair near Luka, "I like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, The Legend of Zelda, Ultimate Mecha Strike, and a lot more than those."

"It's nice to know that you get to have fun playing games," Luka says. "You deserve it." 

Chat Noir smiles wistfully. "For the longest time, those games were one of my sources of escape." He doesn't know why he's telling Luka this. It must be the influence of the song. "I was alone all my life, with only my parents for company." He looks up at the night sky, wishing to see stars, "I'm much happier now, of course. I have... I have friends. I have Ladybug. I have people who care about me, and show that they actually care..." he trails off, feeling his throat tighten.

(And he can't even spend time with those friends with his Father's shadow looming over him, keeping him away from everything and everyone he loves.)

"It's not fair," he says out loud.

The strumming continues, "What isn't fair?"

Chat Noir brings his legs up, resting his chest against his knees. "My Father likes micromanaging my time, my life, and he won't let me go out with my friends. Figures the one time I actually gain the validation and acceptance I crave, he has to forcibly take it away from me." He laughs bitterly. He wipes his eyes, frowning at the tears that have made their way in them. "To him, it's like I have to earn my time with my friends. Like, if I don't hit his standards, I'll be forced into solitude in my own house when I could be hanging out with them." 

Aerith's theme crescendos, and Chat Noir's heart tightens.

"You're right, that isn't fair at all."

"Luka?"

Luka stops playing, frowning at Chat Noir. "You can always come to me if it feels like you're suffocating, Chat Noir. I may not have all the answers, but I'm willing to listen." 

He places the guitar down beside him, placing a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder. "With or without the suit." He grins.

Chat laughs, "Then you'd know who I was, M. Couffaine."

"Who says I don't already know, Adrien?"

Luka laughs at Chat Noir's shocked expression.

* * *

Chat Noir doesn't panic. Doesn't even think to do so. He's just surprised. 

If anyone can keep a secret, it's Luka Couffaine.

He grins, "Alright, you got me." He raises his arms in surrender. "How did you find out?" 

"It was pretty easy for me," Luka said. He hums a little tune that Adrien's never heard before, "Your heart plays the same melody with or without the mask." He continues humming. It's a sad song but it's full of hope. Chat Noir finds himself smiling as Luka continues humming. 

"It's beautiful," Chat Noir says.

"It's you," Luka replies, eyes crinkling shut from the weight of his smile.

His treacherous heart skips a beat.

_Oh._


End file.
